


Delivering Hope

by AntsySerpentine



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Halo: Reach, Other, Pre-Canon, canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-20 03:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20668823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntsySerpentine/pseuds/AntsySerpentine
Summary: With time running out, Thom-A293 took it upon himself to take out the Covenant Battlecruiser in order to turn the tides during the Battle of Fumirole.





	Delivering Hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WinterXAssassin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterXAssassin/gifts).

> Hope you like this, I scribbled it with you in mind uwu

_ ‘It’s not a Noble mission if it’s easy.’ _

It was something that Thom had recalled Carter mentioning earlier in the day, hours before the battle started to pick up. Almost everything had been going according to plan. That was until Thom came across Kat sprawled out on the ground amongst the gunfire and the explosives.

The Spartan’s right arm was severely damaged, and Thom could tell just by looking at it that it wasn’t likely to be saved at all. At the very least, Kat’s armor lock was her saving grace, and Thom was able to take a small amount of comfort in that, before he shifted his attention to the nuke laying at her side.

2:30

2:29

2:28

Time was running out, and Kat was in no condition to keep fighting. Backup wasn’t anywhere in sight, and the soonest that Thom could figure that they would receive help would be far too late for them to pull off a victory. He knew what he needed to do, and it wasn’t going to be an easy decision either.

“Hang in there, Kat. I’ll take care of it.”

Thom wasn’t sure if she had heard him. There was a lack of response, either from damage to the helmet or if she had lost consciousness. According to the TEAMBIO markers on his HUD, she was still alive. Injured, but she would make it.

2:00

1:59

1:58

The Spartan III leaned over and lifted the nuke up and into his arms, carrying it as though it were fragile. Without wasting another second, he activated the Jetpack that he was wearing and began flying up towards the Covenant Battlecruiser up overhead.

He needed to help them win. The team wouldn’t be able to make it if he didn’t do something. Thom was determined to make sure that they were successful, even if it meant that he wouldn’t get out of it alive. It mattered more to him that his team survive and carry on. 

1:30

1:29

1:28

The gravity lift was right above him at this point and he continued upwards, allowing the tractor beam to carry him up and into the ship. Despite the scenario, Thom seemed to have at least some stroke of luck, as when he arrived, there didn’t seem to be any Covenant in sight.

All that he needed now was to find where to plant the nuke. It was obvious that if needed to be near some sort of power source, or in a large enough crowd of Covenant soldiers that it would wipe out the remaining troops. 

1:00

0:59

0:58

Clank. Clank. Clank. 

Thom was sprinting through the twists and stretches inside of the Covenant vessel, carrying the nuke under his arm as he ran. The beeping was beginning to increase in tempo and pitch. He didn’t need to look at the timer to know how close he was running out of time.

The Spartan soon came across a hangar, out of sheer luck itself. There were thousands upon thousands of Grunts marching together in a mass. Jackals were scattered about and Elites made attempts to round up their soldiers into groups to prepare for the next assault on the ground.

0:30

0:29

0:28

Thom stared out into the sea of Covenant, exhaling slowly as he shifted his glance upwards towards the ceiling of the hangar. The beeping on the nuke increased in both pitch and speed, and there was only one thing left for him to do.

He took a step back and threw the nuke out from where he was at and aimed to throw it in the middle of the mass of aliens, watching the explosive fly through the air in a nearly perfect motion. 

Time almost seemed to slow down, and as soon as the nuke left his hands, Thom turned on his heels and started trying to make a run for the exit. The timer for the nuke was still on display on his HUD. 

0:06

0:05

0:04

_ ‘It’s not a Noble mission if it’s easy.’  _

Thom couldn’t help but think of that quote, especially at this time. After all, he’d admit that there was truth to this. This wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one regardless. 

The Spartan glanced over his position on his HUD and noted that the exit was still hundreds of meters away. This was the end of the line for him. Thom knew he wasn’t going to make it out alive the second he took responsibility of the nuke, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least try.

0:03

0:02

0:01

0:00

Thom watched as the timer ticked down to zero, and the detonation of the nuke in the hangar made the Covenant battlecruiser shake and moan from the sheer force of it alone. The Spartan made one last effort to sprint away, but the blast of the explosion sent him forwards and onto the ground. 

After that, Thom’s world went black.


End file.
